AAA is offering some tips for would-be travelers as the coronavirus, newly minted as a pandemic, continues to complicate everything from weekend trips to summer vacation plans.
"If you're planning to travel, what you need to do is check-in with your travel agent or travel provider to understand if you've bought insurance and how that covers you," Jeanette Casselano, public affairs manager for AAA, told Cheddar.
Decoding book-length travel insurance policies is a job best left for travel agents, but there are specific steps travelers can take to cover their bases, she added.
"Be sure to ask about cancel-anytime insurance," Casselano said. "We're seeing a lot of people move to that type of insurance in this type of situation with the coronavirus."
As for the decision to travel in the first place, that should be decided on an individual basis.
"That's really going to be a personal decision you have to make," she said. "Just like you would research a trip before you book a flight or decide where you're going and what activities you're going to do while you're on vacation, you need to do all the research about coronavirus and decide what's right for you and if you should travel."
For those over the age of 60 or with underlying health conditions, Casselano recommends following the WHO guidance to hold off on traveling, especially to hot spots such as Italy.
If you do travel and get caught on the wrong side of a quarantine, she added, make sure to pack at least two week's worth of all the medications you need to stay healthy.
"That is a likely situation, as things are evolving every day," she said.
